The moment this guess surfaced in Wren's mind, Heleni's voice suddenly rose to a shriek. That gentle smile twisted completely, turning into a ferocious, distorted expression.
"Drink it! Hurry up and drink!!!"
In the next instant, Heleni yanked a skinning knife from her waist and lunged at the group like a maddened beast.
"If you won't drink, then die!"
Allen had already been on guard. The moment he entered, the deception had clearly failed, yet Heleni still acted as if she believed it—she had practically exposed herself.
He raised the Blade of the Black Empire in his hand and drew a circular arc through the air.
Mind Lash.
From the void, two dark tendrils shot out, like living shadows, instantly coiling around Heleni's body. They tightened, binding her firmly in place.
Heleni struggled wildly, letting out inhuman shrieks.
"Let me go! Let me go—!"
Allen looked at her coldly.
"Did you kill your husband and your child?"
Her struggle came to an abrupt halt.
Her body froze. Slowly, she lifted her head, and on that twisted face appeared a strange fanaticism.
She looked toward some unseen direction, her lips moving, her voice like a delirious murmur: "Master… you're watching me, aren't you…"
The blade reversed.
Splatter—
Blood splattered across the mottled wall.
Heleni's body collapsed limply to the ground. Those crazed eyes remained wide open, still staring toward some unknowable place.
The small house fell into a deathly silence.
After a long while, Wren finally spoke, his voice low: "What do we do now?"
Allen hadn't expected her to be this mad, this resolute.
But fortunately—he still had…
Allen cast Speak with Dead.
The corpse that had just taken its own life suddenly trembled, then slowly rose to its feet.
Heleni's face was blank, her eyes hollow, as though there was nothing left behind them.
Morgan, seeing Allen use Speak with Dead for the first time, was desperately suppressing the surging Holy Light within his body.
Allen spoke directly: "Did you kill your husband, your child, and the two missing children from Goldshire?"
Heleni nodded.
"Yes."
Wren nearly blurted out—why? Why kill your own child? But he forced himself to stop. Speak with Dead only allowed five questions. Each one was precious.
Allen glanced at Wren and asked the question for him: "Why did you kill them?"
However, what they heard was not the tragic story they had expected.
A grotesque smile spread across Heleni's face, looking especially horrifying on her vacant expression.
"My husband… drank all day. My child… made noise all day." Her voice was drifting and hollow. "They were beyond saving. So I… I used the purification ritual my master taught me…"
She paused, her smile twisting further.
"I sacrificed them to the great darkness. In the ritual, their suffering is sublimated into purity. Their flesh and blood become a bridge to the other side. Their skin becomes the garment of a great being. I purified them. I saved them. They should be grateful to me."
A chill ran down everyone's spine.
Morgan covered his mouth and turned away, his body trembling slightly. He feared he might vomit on the spot.
Wren and Allen exchanged a glance, both seeing the disbelief in each other's eyes. This lunatic had truly killed her own child for such an absurd reason.
And yet… she didn't look like she was being mind-controlled.
Allen took a deep breath and asked the most crucial question: "Who… is this 'master' you speak of?"
Heleni tilted her head slightly, and a trace of fanaticism flickered in her hollow eyes.
"Master… rides a steed of death, clad in black armor. They walk the boundary between life and death, wielding dominion over the dead and the undead."
Her voice became ethereal, like reciting a prayer.
"When they came to my door, I knew… they were messengers sent by the gods. Especially the one leading them… green fire burned in his eyes, and his voice sounded as if it came from deep within a grave. He said his name was…"
Her lips moved, uttering a string of guttural words—not Common… but Orcish.
But in that instant, both Wren and Allen understood.
Death Knight.
Teron Gorefiend.
Wren's hand clenched tightly, his knuckles turning white.
At last… at last they had found the trail!
This was why he had come—to trace the source of this necromantic magic, to hunt down the remnants of the Horde lurking in Azeroth. And now, the truth had finally surfaced.
It was Teron Gorefiend!
Earlier, after the Alliance and the Sons of Lothar had repelled the large number of orcs that suddenly appeared at the Dark Portal, some captured orcs revealed that their large-scale assault had only been a feint. Its purpose was to cover the infiltration of another group—important figures sneaking into Azeroth.
The Alliance leadership and the Sons of Lothar had never figured out who these "important figures" were.
Alleria would never have imagined that her younger sister—whom she still saw as a child—had uncovered the truth ahead of them.
Teron Gorefiend had come to Azeroth with the Death Knights.
And most likely, they were already lurking within Stormwind City.
Allen continued: "Where are they now?"
Heleni answered blankly: "I don't know… Master wouldn't let me know. I helped them… helped them sneak into Stormwind. Hid them in cargo wagons, and then they left… and never came back."
"How did you contact them?"
That eerie smile appeared on her face again.
"We don't anymore… Master doesn't want me anymore." A hint of resentment crept into her tone. "But before… we used this symbol."
She raised her hand and, using coagulated blood, slowly drew a symbol on the wall.
A vertical eye, shedding tears.
The questions were over.
Heleni's body collapsed straight back to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut, lifeless once more.
The room fell into a dead silence.
That eye—it was Teron Gorefiend's symbol.
That meant Stalvan's necromancy also came from Teron Gorefiend. From the letter at the Lion's Pride Inn, to the clerk in Darkshire, to this cottage by Crystal Lake… everything traced back to that Death Knight.
Morgan and Stella were still trying to process what had happened.
But Wren and Allen had already fallen silent.
No one had expected that investigating an ordinary woman by Crystal Lake would uncover such a shocking lead.
[Side Quest: The Secret of the Pentagram (Completed)]
[Reward: +5 Free Attribute Points granted]
[Reward: 2 Random Low-Circle Spells and 1 Random Mid-Circle Spell are being drawn…]
[…]
[Draw successful. Congratulations, you have obtained the spells: Speak with Animals, Knock, and… Chain Lightning]
[Speak with Animals]
[Circle: 1]
[Effect: You can ask animals questions and receive answers. If the animal is friendly, it may be willing to help you.]
[Note: Not recommended for use on unintelligent teammates]
[Knock]
[Circle: 2]
[Effect: Unlocks an object sealed by mundane or magical locks]
[Chain Lightning]
[Circle: 6]
[Effect: Strikes a target with lightning; arcs of chained lightning leap from the target, destroying enemies]
Allen almost shouted out loud.
A 6th-circle evocation spell—Chain Lightning.
He had finally drawn a powerful offensive spell. The feeling was like pulling a golden legendary card in Hearthstone!
All disappointment from drawing Speak with Animals vanished instantly.
And then, a blazing fury ignited within him.
That symbol—Heleni's master was Teron Gorefiend. Stalvan's master was also Teron Gorefiend.
Milana… Tilloa… Morgan's uncle… and those six children… all had died because of him.
He hadn't yet truly avenged Milana…
Unforgivable.
[Side Quest Triggered: Blood Debts Must Be Paid in Blood]
[Teron Gorefiend—sounds like some madman from a cabal of red-robed mages. As the true mastermind, his countless crimes have ignited your fury. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth—blood debts must be repaid in blood. Kill him!]
[Objective: Find Teron Gorefiend and kill him!]
[Reward: +2 All Attributes, 2 Random Low-Circle Spells, 1 Random Mid-Circle Spell]
Allen tried desperately to recall—what exactly had Teron Gorefiend come to Azeroth for?
In his previous life, he had never even played Warcraft.
As for the story before World of Warcraft, he only had a vague idea from reading the Chronicles.
He only knew that the Dark Portal would open again—but before that, he had no idea what Teron Gorefiend had been doing.
In any case… it must be related to reopening the Dark Portal.
Meanwhile, Wren was thinking rapidly. Teron Gorefiend had to be in Stormwind right now. How could they use that symbol to draw him out? How could they capture this Death Knight without alerting him?
No matter what—
Wren and Allen exchanged a glance.
They both saw the same resolve in each other's eyes.
They had to return to Stormwind immediately.
And report everything to King Varian Wrynn.
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